On the Edge of the Blade
by Wizard-Elf-Queen
Summary: N had long defeated Hilda, and rules successfully as king of Unova. Hilda is the leader of the on-going rebellion against N's laws. After years of separation, will one encounter change everything? With Hilda's life at risk, can N protect her?
1. Chapter 1

Sunlight shimmered through the stained glass windows, and silence echoed in the grand room. Two grunts stood firm on either side of two, tall gold doors. Stone pillars towered over fifty feet above anyone who entered the grand hall. At the center of the room was a stage of polished granite. In the center of the stage were two thrones, crafted of the world's finest marble. One throne was decorated in precious gems in shades of red and gold. The second stood slightly taller than the other, it was decorated with gems in shades of purple and green. Insignias were engraved in this throne and painted gold. In this immaculate throne sat it's king. A king of tea green hair and porcelain skin. His face held an indifferent expression as surveyed his thrown room. He should feel satisfied, not just contempt. He had achieved his goal of liberating the pokemon of Unova, along with becoming king.

He glanced to his right; his to-be queen sat beside him. Her face radiated triumph and glory; something he should've felt. Her name was Dmitria and the king certainly did not love her. She was the daughter of sage; the king was to marry her for nobility purposes strictly. In fact, he was sure she didn't care for him either. She was in it for the power, for glory, _for the wealth_.

"Natural?" Dmitria's voice rang out. The king was pulled from this thoughts; he didn't realize he was staring at her while he was thinking, "Natural, what is it?" she asked. The king, or N, closed his eyes and sighed. He turned back to look straight ahead and noticed the golden doors were ajar. The two grunts had their heads poking through the opening. 'Are they talking to someone?', N thought.

"Nothing, just thinking," N replied. He stood briskly, "Guards!" he called. The two grunts jumped in surprise and turned to face their king.

"Sir!" They shouted in unison. N hurried towards them and scowled down at them.

"Care to inform me of what is transpiring?" N asked impatiently. One of the grunts composed himself quickly and addressed the king,

"Your majesty, we have received word of a rebel movement in Nimbasa City. We have deployed a brigade to break up the protest. Do you wish to join them, sir?" The grunt stated. N thought for a moment, he was puzzled. It had been just over a year since he defeated the champion of Unova; were his people still fighting against him? Perhaps the champion had more influence on others than he thought. She certainly had an influence on him. Before he could stop himself, N was drifting off into his memories. Then it hit him. Perhaps if he went to one of these movement, he might be able to see her face again...

"I think I will. Prepare my ride." the king said. N looked to the second grunt, "Please make sure the...queen...doesn't get up to anything. I rather not have another problem on my hands today." he sighed heavily. N pushed the golden doors open and strode down the hall, with escorts of course.

As N began turned into the last hall before the exit, he was approached by his father. The sage's face was bright red with anger; N immediately went stock still.

"Are you _really_ going with that army of dolts to stop a petty riot? You have real work to attend to! We are less than a month away from the queen's coronation, and you're busy playing soldier? Focus!" Ghetsis scolded. N's expression did not falter from indifference, but he felt fear strike him inside.

"Father, I am aware of the upcoming events. But as the king, my say overrules your own, does it not? As king, I am going to investigate these uproars. I would like to know the severity of these outcries. If I see that they are nonthreatening, then I will not bother with them again. However, if I think they must be dealt with, then I will end them now." N said quickly before hastily leaving the castle. Ghetsis stayed behind, in disbelief and anger.

It was a bright and warm afternoon in Nimbasa City, but it was not serene. Hundreds of people marched, holding signs and chanting in the city demanded to have their pokemon back, to have their friends back. Leading the march was a resilient, young girl. She held a megaphone and stood atop a picnic table, chanting along with the crowd.

"Give us back our friends!" they shouted, "Stop the king!" they continued.

"That's right everyone! Declare your outrage! Make the king notice us!" The girl encouraged. Her bright blue eyes glittered with excitement as she viewed her followers. Just as she was about make another declaration, she was yanked off the table.

"Hilda, I just heard that the king and a team of grunts are on their way. We need you to get out of here before he shows up. He's going to want to have you arrested. You need to go now." A young man told his lively friend.

"Cheren, I can handle this. Besides, we've never actually had the king witness us before, this is exactly what we need! An audience with power!" Hilda enthused, "N won't hurt me, he has no interest in me at all anymore." Hilda finished somberly. Hilda and Cheren had been friends since childhood. Cheren was definitely the brains of the two; he typically helped Hilda with her decisions. However, this time, Hilda thought it best that she make her own judgement.

"We can't risk your exposure to the king. The grunts were one thing, but you two have history. He could be holding a grudge against you for not agreeing to be the queen!" Cheren warned. His face turned hard and serious, not very tolerant at the moment. Hilda laughed and patted Cheren's shoulder.

"Ah buddy, even if I had agreed to be the queen, Ghetsis wouldn't allow that. N's also too kind to be angry for more than two minutes, he probably doesn't even know I'm here." She said confidently.

"That's not the point! You're so naive! He's probably furious that you denied him! If you he sees you here, he'll arrest not only you, but everyone! He'll want to get back at you. We can't to afford to risk our efforts for your petty attempt to get N's attention. You actually had clear mind before you met him, where'd it go?" Cheren ranted. After couple of minutes Cheren shook his head, sighed, and walked away. Hilda was extremely offended by her friend's outburst. She ignored it for now, got back on the table and continued to inspire her crowd.

About half an hour later, a white limousine pulled up near the crowd; the doors opened and grunts poured out. Only few noticed at first, then whispers poured through the crowd. Soon enough, the entire cluster of rebels fell silent and left Hilda shouting into her megaphone,

"End the cru-...um...hello?" Hilda looked down at the crowd in confusion. She glanced around to see what hushed them, and saw the white limousine. Her breath caught in her throat and she quickly hopped off the table. She couldn't see over the tops of anyone's head, so she listened instead. Seconds later, the entire gathering was overtaken by single loud gasp; the king was here.

"The king, he's here." some whispered, "That bastard, N, finally acknowledges us." another huffed. Hilda smirked at that comment.

"Citizens of Nimbasa, I've come to put an end to this foolishness. It has been over a year since my victory. I implore you to end this rebellion, it is futile." N addressed the crowd, "Now then, my guards tell me you had leader, only moments ago, encouraging you to continue this behavior. Bring your leader to me and I will not arrest any of you." At that moment, Hilda maneuvered her way out of the pack. She pushed and shoved people aside; she hoped no one would turn her in.

Just as she reached the end of the crowd, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist. Hilda's blood became ice. 'He got me. He really got me', she thought. Hilda looked over her shoulder to face N, her captor. But to her utmost shock and heartbreak, it wasn't N.

"Cheren…" Hilda uttered out. His face was stoic; stone cold. Cheren yanked her through the crowd, toward N, "Cheren, please don't do this." Hilda pleaded.

"The rebellion needs a leader, not a childish activist." Cheren spat. Before she could process his words, Cheren had thrown her in front of the king. Hilda looked up slowly. N's face was different since the last time they were together; his bone structure was more prominent. It looked almost too serious for such a delicate soul.

"N, you're here." Hilda whispered. Her whole body trembled with fear; this was the end. N's lip twitched up in the corner at the sight of her quaking form. He knelt down beside her and whispered,

"I always will be from now on." N had two grunts lift Hilda to her feet and taken into the limousine.


	2. Chapter 2

Hilda gazed out at the world through the windows, knowing nothing could see her through the tint. She felt as if her world was far behind, left in the dust. Hilda fretted that N would imprison her for life, she thought of the torture he would deal. Would he throw her in a dungeon and starve her? Or would he chain her to a wall and have her beaten? A shiver ran down her spine; maybe N had remained the same innocent boy she cared for...hopefully Ghetsis hadn't changed him.

The further they drove, the city soon became forest; a strictly forbidden area. Hilda was definitely in isolation now. She could make out forms of pokemon running through the woods; they were driving past the reserve. The reserve had been created instantly after N's victory, this is where every pokemon resided now. 'They shouldn't be separated off like this', Hilda thought.

"Your majesty, grunts in the reserve say there is a disturbance with some of the pokemon. Do you wish to intervene?" a grunt informed. Hilda's ears perked up as soon as the grunt spoke.

"Yes, of course. Hilda, do you wish to come along, or shall I send you straight to the palace?" N inquired. Hilda's heart begin to race; she'd be the first to be in contact with a pokemon in over a year. She tried to hide her excitement with a bored expression, she didn't want to give N the satisfaction.

"I've got nothing better to do. Sure, why not." she agreed. N smiled at her response and had the limo brought to a stop. The grunts left the vehicle first, then hauled Hilda out, and let king out last. They were greeted by a reserve ranger near an opening in the fence. Half of the grunts remained with the limo, while rest escorted N and Hilda through the reserve. Hilda watched as scared pokemon scurried between bushes, and others followed behind her. At one point, she thought she saw her beloved Samurott hiding in a grove of trees. Hilda tried to turn and run towards it, but a grunt held her back. For the rest of the walk, Hilda kept her head down and watched her feet slowly move.

"Just over there, sir." the ranger pointed to a Darmanitan and an Emboar butting heads. Steam seemed to pour from the Darmanitan's nostrils as the Emboar emitted a low growl. N's eyes held twinge of sadness, seeing two pokemon in conflict always discouraged him. The bold N strided over to the two beast, grunts slowly following behind. They stopped when N had reached the pokemon, they dare not go further. N placed a gentle hand on each of the pokemon,

"Friends, why do you fight? This is a sanctuary for you all to find peace. What has brought you two such negative feelings?" N asked softly. Emboar let out a booming bark of anger, whereas the Darmanitan grunted. N's face looked taken aback; he looked almost insulted. Hilda became very intrigued in knowing what the three were talking about. She pushed past a few grunts to see the confrontation, she wanted to see the beasts, "How can you argue about such a thing? I have freed you. You no longer have to battle one another." N said, he sounded desperate. When Hilda finally shoved her way in front of everybody, she gasped. Darmanitan and Emboar both turned in reaction to the sudden noise. Emboar's eyes widened and let out a low grumble, "Yes, she _was_ a trainer; champion of Unova in fact." N said harshly. The Emboar's face lit up with joy and charged towards Hilda. All the grunts jumped back as the beast stopped in front of her; the gentle giant nuzzled Hilda affectionately. Hilda laughed and patted the top of its head.

"Hello, Kettle! it's good to see you too!" Hilda cooed. N's eyebrow arched in confusion.

"Kettle?" N asked.

"His name is Kettle. He was my friend's first pokemon." She explained. The Emboar stood protectively by Hilda's side as she talked to N, "Sometimes I don't think he remembers how big he is. Whenever he decides to be affectionate, he thinks he's the size of a Tepig and can be cuddled like one. It's awkward trying to cuddle something the size of the bear...but when he's in battle, he's a force to reckon with." Hilda told him. N was fascinated how much of a connection she had to a pokemon that wasn't her own; he was definitely aware of the connection she had with her own...

"Well Kettle, I would very much appreciate it you and the Darmanitan over there ceased fighting. If you two wish to be in contact with humans...maybe I'll send Hilda to comfort you." N forced out. Hilda stared at him in shock; he was breaking his principle rule. She could hear how much N struggled with saying it too. Darmanitan and Emboar bellowed happily in reply, "Excellent. Now if you wouldn't mind, we must return to the castle. Farewell, friends." With that, the grunts began forming uniform lines to escort the king back. Before anyone could gather her, Hilda rubbed Emboar's belly and promised him she'd return. Two grunts soon grabbed her and hauled her back to the limo.

Large oak doors opened before them, revealing a marvelous interior. Black wood paneled walls and polished granite floors; Hilda was awe struck. Nothing seemed familiar from the last time she was here. Legendary pokemon were constructed within stained glass windows, the colors were cast across the floor by the setting sun. Hilda gazed at the majesty as she followed N down a long hallway.

"I have the palace renovated since you were here." N said, "I saw the look on your face." he chuckled. Hilda didn't realize her jaw hung open. N stopped in front of two gold doors and sighed in exhaustion, "Leave us!" he commanded half-heartedly. Immediately the grunts scattered like roaches and vanished, "Hilda, much has changed since our battle. You know that, but not to what extent. Past these doors are my throne room, where we fought and you left me. I hold no resentment towards you, rather I still care deeply for you. However, since you didn't agree to be my queen, my feelings became irrelevant." N confessed.

"N, what are you trying to say?" Hilda asked, getting frustrated. She had feeling she knew where this was going; N would ask her to marry him again and that he still loved her. To be honest, she didn't know how she felt about him.

"What I'm trying to say is, against my will, I'm engaged to be married." N said bluntly. Well that was certainly not what Hilda was expecting. She took a step back; she was so use to having N always in her reach. She knew how selfish that was, but it was true. N always came to her beck and call; N was hers.

"Oh...Then, why did you bring me back here?" She asked, he voice sounded empty and hollow.

"Because I don't love Dmitria, my bride to-be. I love you, Hilda. I've always been in love with you. Concordia and Anthea taught me the difference, finally. I want you to be here. I have to marry Dmitria because she is of nobility, and I have to produce a pureblood heir." he told Hilda. He tried to hold her hands and gaze into her eyes, but she refused.

"N...I won't be your mistress. She will be your wife, your queen, the mother to your child...I can't compete with that." Hilda began to cry. She couldn't believe what was happening. Her dear, innocent friend had changed. N attempted to take Hilda into his arms, but she shoved him away, "No! Let me go home, N! You already won our battle, what else do you want?" she yelled, tears pouring down her face.

"My heart only belongs to you. I only love you." N tried to reason with her, "Hilda, my love, I can't allow you to leave. The sages also want you, you're the rebel leader. They've left me in charge of you, to imprison you and do with you what I wish. I will not harm you in any way or disrespect you, but I can't release you." N grabbed her wrist in a vice grip, "I have to present you to the council, then I will take you to your bedroom. We will speak privately." He wiped Hilda's tears away and sighed again. N pushed the doors open and dragged Hilda behind him. Ghetsis and a few other grunts were the only ones who currently occupied it.

"Ah, King N has returned!" Ghetsis announced. When he saw Hilda with N, Ghetsis became furious, "Who allowed tha-"

"The rest of the council wished for her arrest. I'm simply presenting my efficiency to them." N interrupted. N hauled Hilda further into the throne room, he motioned her to sit on the armrest of his throne. N sat down and smirked at his father. Ghetsis hurried out of the room with two grunts, "He is probably off to get Dmitria and the council. Don't worry, I will protect you." N whispered to Hilda.


	3. Chapter 3

An hour past before the gold doors opened again, but they opened with a slam. Ghetsis and Dmitria were fuming, the council followed like a herd of sheep. Ghetsis and Dmitria glared intensely at Hilda; Hilda stiffened in response. N wrapped an arm around Hilda's waist protectively and straightened up in his seat.

"Dmitria, father, is there a problem?" N asked innocently, "I only did as the council asked." The council of sages all nodded in agreement.

"That may be true, but why is she in the throneroom? Shouldn't she be in the dungeon?" Ghetsis snapped.

"Well father, the council left Hilda in my charge. She did plot to foil _my_ goals and end _my_ reign. It seemed only natural that I be the one to deal the consequences." N said smugly. Ghetsis grit his teeth and had the council removed from the room; they were to meet later.

"Natural, as your queen, I do not approve of this. She's a risk to your rule, she'll distract you with her foolish ideals." Dmitria chimed in.

"Dmitria, you are not queen yet, let me remind you. Even if you were, my say is final, I am the king. As for your other point, I've already defeated her. Hilda is no threat to me." N said softly. N leaned closer to Hilda, "She will never be mine, Hilda. I want you to be mine, I'll you'll allow it." he whispered. A single hot shiver shot down Hilda's spine. 'Did that arouse me?', she thought.

"Something you wish to share, Natural? We are not school children." Dmitria retorted. N rolled his eyes and stood up, taking Hilda with him.

"If anyone needs me, for official business only, I'll be in the guest chamber connected with mine." N grumbled. N then took Hilda and stormed out of the throne room, doors slamming behind him, "Despicable, all of them." he continued.

"Did you say I'm going to be in your room?" Hilda asked.

"Not exactly. As you can imagine, as king, I have a rather luxurious bedroom. There's actually a door that leads to a smaller room bedroom; its strictly connected to my room. You couldn't escape even if you tried." he clarified.

"You can't do this, you're violation your most basic rule; freedoom! You're keeping me trapped in here!" Hilda shouted. N stopped just feet from a tall, dark wood door and turned to face her. He grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the wall. His green eyebrows knitted together in anger, his eyes radiated an icy sensation.

"You don't think I fucking know that? Hilda, I'm not the innocent, naive boy you knew anymore. After you left, Ghetsis stripped my naivety away instantly! He believed that when you were out of the picture, I could finally 'learn'. Don't you get it? You kept me safe! I don't want you back just because I'm desperately in love with you, I need you to protect me! All my goals have had some sort of negative backlash, all because of Ghetsis! I just wanted pokemon liberation, I don't want to produce a whole bloodline to continue this dirty work!" N screamed. He was panting by the end of his rant, "I want Ghetsis out of the palace and out of power, the council does as well. Without Ghetsis...I'm free, Unova is free. I can finally work with the council without fear, and I won't need to marry Dmitria. Hilda, we could be together. We can save Unova from Ghetsis' power." N pleaded. Hilda was stunned by N. He really had no more innocence, he was just as competent as she was. There were no more illusions for him, the truth was revealed.

"N, take me into the room. If we're going to discuss this further, it has to be in secure privacy." She whispered. N took a deep breath and nodded. They entered N's room and sat on his bed, "Now then, N, first you need to calm down. I'm sorry about...everything. If I had known, I would have stayed." Hilda sighed sadly, "But Getting rid of Ghetsis, that's huge. Do you know how long that'll take? We'd need to accuse him of something and find evidence for that accusation." Hilda thought for a moment. What could they accuse him off? Everything he did involved N; they could arrest him without N. They'd have to get Ghetsis to do something without N, and soon.

"What about us being together? You didn't have any thoughts on that." N asked quietly. Hilda looked down at her feet in shame, what did she think? Hilda did care deeply for N, but was it love? She definitely felt jealous that he was to be married to someone else, that he was out of reach. Perhaps she did love him. Maybe, just maybe, Hilda was in love.

"N, I don't know what love feels like. I don't have anyone like Anthea and Concordia to explain it to me. I know I feel jealous that Dmitria is marrying you and not me, but aren't I supposed to feel some big explosion in my heart?" Hilda questioned. N lifted her chin so he gaze into her fragile eyes.

"I'd never thought anyone would be asking _me_ what love felt like, especially you. In fact, I thought I'd be asking you that." N laughed softly, "But that's besides the point. Hilda, love is...putting someone else's happiness above your own. Love is missing someone whenever they're not around. Love is doing what's best for them, even if it hurts you." N said almost blissfully, "Feelings are different from person to person. For me, I feel like I'm at home when I'm with you. I feel light and warm, just from looking at you."

"I feel...like I don't have to worry about the outside world when I'm with you. You make things seems okay for a moment, I love that feeling." Hilda mumbled. N smiled softly and kissed Hilda's forehead.

"That is love, Hilda." N said. He peered out the grand window beside his bed; the sun was about to set, "It is time you rest, I have a few meetings. The moment you were taken into custody I notified Anthea and Concordia, they bought you numerous things. Your new belongings are in the guest room. Your bed should be made and ready for you, or if you like, you may sleep in my bed." he disclosed.

"Thank you, N. I'm going to change quickly, so don't leave yet." Hilda directed. She rose from the bed and headed for the guest room. When she pushed the door open, lights clicked on automatically; the room was painted a pale green and had a white trim. A queen sized bed was pushed against the back wall and centered perfectly. Next to the bed was a white, wooden dresser. It wasn't a big room, it was quaint; Hilda rather liked it. She rummaged through the dresser for some pajamas; there was a blue tank top and sweatpants with an Oshawott stitched on the hip. A melancholy smile crept onto her face, N remembered.


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

Hilda ran the tips of her fingers over the little Oshawott, warmth flooding her heart. 'Things were so much simpler back then' she thought wistfully. Before getting too distracted with the past, she pulled on the pjs and hurried out to N. He was already gone.

"So much for waiting." she huffed. Since she was alone, she figured she'd snoop around his room. Despite her feelings for him, he was the reason for the rebellion. Might as well get to know you're up against.

The room was mainly deep greens with even deeper purple accents; much like his throne. His be- wait _his._ 'Does he share this room with Dmitria?' Hilda wondered. If he did, Hilda would feel very uncomfortable being in _their_ room. Hilda began to rummage through all the drawers and closets in the room to check her suspicion. All she found were men's cloths, but that wasn't good enough proof. Hilda looked around the room and saw a glass door in corner. A bathroom. She hurriedly opened the door and rummaged again. There was no trace of any feminine products. Hilda sighed heavily in relief. She slumped against the cool tile wall and slid down. Hilda came to the more settling conclusion that she is the only women allowed in here.

A good hour passed before Hilda decided to get up and go to bed. Hilda opened the door just slightly when she began to hear voices. She panicked and quickly shut it again. She hated herself for feeling fear, but then again, it could be Ghetsis. Hilda heard someone enter the bedroom, so she pressed her ear to the glass door.

"Natural, where is that little rat? My word may not be as powerful as yours, but I know who's can persuade you!" Dmitria's shrill voice rang out. Hilda could hear N sigh in distress. N sat on the edge of his bed and held his face in his hands. His hands dropped as quickly as they rose and glanced up at her.

"Dmitria, is that a threat? Because if so, I won't hesitate to reprimand you," N spoke firmly. He rose from his seat and towered over her, "I'm tired of hearing you complain. I will no longer submit and tolerate this attitude." N stepped towards her; he was not taking her crap anymore, "Leave my quarters now before I have you thrown out."

"You love her, don't you? I saw the way you held her in the throne room. You really think Ghetsis will this go on much longer?" Dmitria asked. Hilda noted she sounded rather vexed.

"Get out!" N screamed. Dmitria feigned hurt and gasped. She turned and sauntered out, slamming the door behind her. From the bathroom, Hilda heard the whole thing. She also heard N fall onto the bed after Dmitria left. Hilda wasn't sure if she should make herself known. She didn't want N to think she was eavesdropping...even though she was. Maybe she could wait until he fell asleep, then she'd sneak back into her room.


End file.
